Mission objectives and information, 1066-1453
It is intolerable. It shall not stand.
1. Introduction.
a) In spite of recent advances in space and with computing devices, the overall parameters of the Protracted Struggle remain the same: Either side will attack as soon as it believes victory with acceptable casualties is achievable. 'Acceptable casualties' is a much higher number for the Ynglinga Hird than for the Comintern.
b) Projections made by the Overkommando Ynglinga Hird indicate that the Chinese presence in space will become self-sustaining, that is, independent of supplies from Earth, within fifty years; and that the Yngling Realm possesses insufficient resources to maintain a presence large enough to destroy or inflict unacceptable damage upon such settlement.
c) Therefore, in order to prevent the People's Republic of China from simply growing around the Yngling Realm and reducing it to irrelevance as a Power,
it has been decided to create a Quantum Device in violation of the provisions of the 2176 Treaty of Byzantium.
2. Objectives
a) Become advisors to the Kings of Norway in the formative years of the Realm.
b) Guide the Realm, and the Family, in order to achieve greater dominance, at an earlier stage, than was historically the case.
c) Ensure that the political development of the Realm includes strong privileges for the Yngling caste.
d) Avoid the regrettable miscegenation with
strils which was unfortunately necessary for survival in our timeline.
3. Background information
a) Agents will be sent to destinations at 25-year intervals, starting in 1066. Due to the quantum nature of the Device, arrival times and locations cannot be controlled perfectly. Agents should attempt to locate their successors and predecessors, but must be prepared to operate alone if necessary.
b) Consensus among the scientists attached to the project indicates that our timeline, and history, will be entirely destroyed by the use of the Device. Agents should therefore be aware that an awe-inspiring responsibility rests on their shoulders: Should they fail to make the Kingdom of Norway into a major Power, there will be no second chance. In essence the Project is gambling all that our ancestors have achieved over the past millennium, in the hope of gaining the still larger prize of world domination. But agents must keep in mind that there will be no divine intervention to ensure that Norway succeeds. Failure is always a possibility, and it is here entirely unacceptable.
c) Agents should keep in mind that Norway, in 1066, does not enjoy any of the advantages it does in 2206. In particular, there is no strong Ynglinga Hird with a millennium of battle experience behind it. (Indeed, the single agent who lands in 1066 will, by himself, increase the size of the Family by 50%!) Caution is therefore indicated until a strong power base can be established. Hence the decision to avoid intervention at Stamford Bridge. Although acquiring the kingship of England at an early date would be desirable, the long-term effects of the survival of Harald Hardråde are too unpredictable. In particular, it is not clear how the privileges of the Yngling caste might be affected by the success of a powerful warrior king, and the inevitable distortions involved with subjugating England. Agents should keep this in mind, and exercise a similar caution.
4. Desired overall development
a) Domestic. The Yngling population must be enlarged by all means possible. In particular, fertility drugs should be given to wives of Olaf Yngling, and these wives eliminated at the first sign of barrenness. Moreover, other noble families should be absorbed or pushed aside. The custom of duels, which is fading as Christianity is introduced, must be strengthened at every opportunity; agents should keep in mind that they are much better trained, larger, and healthier than the average warrior of the early Middle Ages. Whenever possible, raids on neighbouring countries should be arranged, in order to maintain a large, experienced warrior caste who will find it in their own economic interest to be warlike. It will probably be necessary to maintain a public charade of piety within the Christian faith for diplomatic purposes, as that superstition is rampant throughout the period. Nonetheless, wherever possible, the older pagan superstition, which is much more suitable for our purposes, should be encouraged. Further, care must be taken to ensure that no Christian priest gains the ear of any Yngling King. The provisions of the New Testament, if taken seriously, would entirely destroy the Yngling caste. Fortunately, agents will be helped here by the historical fact that there is very little evidence of any Christian ruler ever actually taking those provisions to heart.
The desired end result is a strong, pure-blooded Yngling caste, descended in the male line from Olav Yngling or his brother Magnus, holding all the great offices, titles, and estates in the land. It is not necessary to give them in law the exclusive right to speak at Ting, as this will be achieved
de facto merely through there being no competing noble dynasties within the Realm. Great care should be taken to indoctrinate this caste into its destiny of world domination, and - as soon as practical - to set up an education system similar to our current one, although necessarily of somewhat more limited scope. It is not necessary to have every Yngling understand tactics, logistics, hand-to-hand fighting, and basic rifle maintenance, to mention only a few of our subjects; rather, what is desired is a tradition of formal education for Ynglings, separate from both
strils and the education of other noble families, which can later be developed into such a system as we have today. Note that until the Yngling population has reached a million or so, it will be necessary to keep the attrition in this education to natural levels, even though our current 5% death rate is far more desirable from a eugenic point of view.
b) Foreign. Complete domination of the Baltic and Finland. Iceland to be acquired as an outpost for reaching the Americas at a later date. The British Isles including the Channel coast of France conquered if possible. Targets of opportunity to be snatched in Russia, but no major campaigns in this area, as subjugating the
strils there would distract valuable Yngling attention from more resource-rich areas. Germany to be conquered as far south as the Rhine if possible; however, great caution must be exercised here, as this area is politically fairly united and economically far richer than the Realm, and may come to dominate it politically if its indigenous noble families are permitted to retain power; we have no wish to be the flies that conquer the flypaper. No permanent conquests are to be made outside these territories, with the possible exception of Mediterranean islands suitable for naval bases, lest Yngling attention be split; again let it be noted that the primary objective for this period is to enlarge the Yngling population and its position in the internal politics of Norway. If it becomes necessary for diplomatic purposes to undertake large-scale campaigns in the Levant, Syria, or Africa ("Crusades"), any subjugated lands should be made self-governing as soon as possible, to await re-absorption in the second phase.
c) Economic and technological.
Under no circumstances are up-time technologies to be introduced before the second stage.
In particular, steam engines and gunpowder are to be avoided
at all costs. The reasons for this are that the economic effects of steam engines will mainly benefit regions where coal is abundant, in particular, the north of England and the region around Bohemia. Until and unless these fall under Norwegian domination, allowing such benefits to occur would be highly counter-productive. Further, steam engines allow the rise of a merchant class, with riches independent of the land-based wealth of the warrior aristocracy; although unavoidable in the long run, this must be delayed until the Family is large enough to form a large proportion of this class and to dominate it politicall. As for gunpowder, it would be still more disastrous: Since it necessarily has a democratising effect on warfare, by making it simple for even untrained peasants to be warriors (see, for example, accounts of the fighting against Chinese militia prior to the Bitter Peace), it would undermine the entire social structure we are attempting to build. Until Yngling dominance is firmly established, victory in warfare
must rest on a narrow caste of highly trained professional warriors; if peasant levies can defeat such a host, it will become impossible to establish our political privileges. A further point here is that gunpowder warfare favours economic resources and numbers, neither of which is a strength of Norway in this period.
5. Conclusion.
When in doubt,
kill.